Dishwashing machine



April 1957 A. R MILLER 2,787,279

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed May 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z 2 z z? 44 INVENTOR ATT RNEYS April 2, 1957 A. R. MILLER v DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed May 6, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z7 ,1 56 9 I 5.9 i v INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent DISHWASHING MACHINE Albert'R. Miller, Miami Beach, Fla., assignor ofone-half to Fay G. Johnson, Jacksonville, Fla.

Application May 6, 1953, Serial No. 353,289

Claims. (til. 134-421) This invention relates to washing machines and is directed more particularly to a machine for washing dishesand-the like of the type inwhich the dishes to be cleansed are suspended within a suitable receptacle and sprayed with a washing fluid;

Dishwashers as heretofore known in the art are almost without exception subject to at least two major faults. First; the fluid with whichthe dishes are washed is allowed to collect in such quantities that it flows up and around those dishes which have beenal-ready cleaned, tending to re-soil them, either through lack of provision of means for discharging the dirty fluid or through the use of draining means'which isinadequate for the task, with the result that wastefully large volumes of water and an excess of soapor detergent are required toachieve thedesired state of cleanliness; And second, in the case of spray type washers the machines are designed with the spray originating at the center from which point the dishes are relativelyinaccessible to the spray since the space between adjacent dishes situated at a' radius near the center'is quite small compared to the space at a radius several times farther away from the center. Thus, with present day. dishwashers, the. dishes must be carefully rinsed to. remove the tightly clinging particles of food and evenwith thispreliminary rinse, it is virtually impossible to arrangethe dishes; so that unclean areas do not persist which could notoccur were the entire surface area exposed to theaction of' the spray as would more likely. be the case werethe' spraysto originate from the periphery of the washer rather than from the. center.

One object of this invention is therefore the provision of an improved dishwasher in which the dishes are maintained in a location spaced from the zone in which. the dirty washing fluid collects and in addition, in which the dirty fluid is progressively discharged from the washer receptacle during the washing operation.

Another important object of this invention is to provide an improved dishwasher in which the dishes are maintained stationary while a receptacle enclosing the same is caused to rotate, the centrifugal force induced by the revolution of the receptacle being utilized to cause a plurality of jets of washing fluid to impinge upon the dishes and, also, to continuously elfect positive expulsion ofthe fouled fluid from the receptacle.

A further object is to provide a dishwasher in which the functions of washing, fluid discharge, and drying. are accomplished solely by virtue of the rotation of. a receptacle encompassing. an array of stationary dishes.

A still further object is to provide a dishwasher having improved means for producing sprays of washing fluids originating adjacent the periphery of a moving receptacle and directed generally inwardly toward dishes nonrotatively supported therein;

Other and further objects and advantages will be apparent from' thefollowing detailed description when read in-connection with the" accompanying drawingsinwhich:

Figure l isacross-sectionalelevation of a dishwasher embodying the principles of the invention, the dishes and dish rack being removed in order to more clearly illustrate the salient features of novelty;

Figure 2 is a top plan view taken along line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a slightly enlarged detail view taken'along line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a detail view of the preferred form of vane employedin the invention.

In general, the present invention comprises an outer housing in which an open dish-supporting basket-like frame is non-rotatably mounted, the housing having an internal annular overflow trough adjacent. the upper edge thereof. Disposed within the housing for rotation about a vertical axis is a cylindrical receptacle orbowl, the wall of which is situated between the housing and the basket, tapering upwardly and outwardly and terminating slightly above and closely adjacent the mouth of the overflow trough. Secured to the inner face of the receptacle wall and spaced therefrom is one or more inwardly directed channels into which washing fluid is adapted to be supplied. A number of vertically arranged vanes are attached to the stationary frame, each having one end partially projecting into the inwardly directed channels and the other extending in angular fashion into the interior of the washer; Thus, when washing fluid is supplied to the channels while the receptacle is in rotation, it is confined within the channels by centrifugal force until contacted by the vanes and thereby splashed or sprayed against the dishes. As the dirty fluid collects at the bottom of the receptacle, it is immediately moved by centrifugal force up the inclined side walls of the receptacle until it is. forced over the receptacle rim and into the overflow trough, and all of the wash fluid once used is rapidly expelled from the receptacle.

Turning to the detailed description of my improved dishwasher, in Figure l the numeral 11 designates a cylindrical housing or casing in which the various. components of the machine are enclosed. The housing 11 is divided by a horizontal partition 13 into an upper washing compartment 15 and alower drive compartment 17. Disposed within the lower compartment 17 is a pair ofvertically spaced spider-like brackets, generally indicated at 19, each of which consists of a central tubular portion or hub 20 supported by radial arms 21 formed integrally therewith, the outer ends of the radial arms 21 being secured to the housing 1 1by any suitable means, as. for example, studs=23. The bores 24 of tubular portions 20 are in vertical registration, each being adapted to receive a bronze metal bushingZS in which a shaft 27 is journaled for rotation about itsvertically extendin g longitudinal axis.

The tubular portion 20 of the lower one of the brackets 19 is internally threaded at its lower end for the reception of a threaded plug 29 provided with a conical depressionSl in which a spherical bearing 33 rests. A depression 35 which corresponds to the depression 31 is formed in the lower end of shaft 27, the depression 35 fitting over and bearing against the bearing 33 so that the latter functions as a thrust bearing during the operation of the washer, sustaining the vertical load of the shaft 27 and the elements carried thereby.

Mounted on the shaft 27 intermediate the spaced tubular portions 29 is a sheave 37 which is operatively connected to. a second sheave 39" by means of anendless V-belt 41 on any other suitable means, indicated by the dotte'cllines in Figure 1; The second sheave 39 is mountedou the shaft of an electric motor 43 connected by means of a conventional electrical conduct-or, not shown, to any suitable sourceofelectrical power.

Shaft 27 extends vertically through a centrally located aperture in partition 13, a water-proof seal between the shaft and the partition being provided by means of packing material 45 compressed between the upper face of the topmost of the bronze metal bushing 25 and an annular cover plate 47 secured to the partition in any desired manner. Carried by the upper end of shaft 27 which projects verticallyabove partition 13 is a relatively deep receptacle or bowl, designated 51, having a bottom 53 and side walls 55 of inverted fiusto-conical configuration.

An upstanding member 57 rests at one end against bottom 53, said member having a laterally extending flange 58 thereon which is secured to the bottom by stud bolts 59 or by welding or brazing if desired. The member 57 is partially penetrated by a vertical recess or socket 60 extending upwardly from the lower face for a major portion of its length, bottom 53 having an aper- :ture therein corresponding in diameter to that of recess 60 to permit the upper portion of shaft 27 to be received by recess 60, a resilient sleeve 61 being inserted between the shaft 27 and the walls of recess 68 to provide a vibraitionless mounting for receptacle 51.

As already mentioned, sidewalls 55 of receptacle 51 ,whieh are preferably constructed integrally with bottom tion of housing 11 an upwardly facing annular overflow trough, designated 64, located in close lateral proximity to the upper area of the side walls 55 of bowl 51 and having its mouth directly underlying the rim of lip 62 of the bowl. An outlet pipe 65 communicates with the overflow trough 64, and is connected in any desired fashion to a conventional drain pipe, not shown, located exterially of the washer.

The housing 11 at a point spaced slightly above the annular overflow trough is provided with a laterally extending flange 66 from which a rigid basket-like framework 67 is suspended inside the receptacle 51, having a diameter and vertical dimension somewhat less than those of the receptacle so that it is spaced both from bottom 53 and sidewalls 55. The framework 67 consists of a short cylindrical ring member 69, having an outwardly extending flange 71 which rests on housing flange, and a plurality of rod members 73 bent in the shape of an L, each being secured at a corresponding end to ring member 69 and depending downwardly therefrom. The short legs of the L-shaped rods 73 all radiate toward the center of receptacle 51 and are joined at their ends to a common center block 75. Preferably the framework is reinforced against lateral bending by one or more hoops 77 extending therearound and secured to the L-shaped rods 73 by welding, brazing or the like. The function of this framework is to support a number of dishes inside of the receptacle 51. While the dishes have been omitted from the drawings of this invention in order to more clearly illustrate the essential features thereof, it will be understood that preferably they are placed in conventional racks or baskets in a manner well known in this art, one or more of such racks being placed in- The novel means which I employ to create a spray of washing fluid and direct the same against dishes located in the interior of receptacle 5]. is best seen in Figures 1 and 3 and may be described as follows. Extending around the full internal periphery of the receptacle 5.! is one or more inwardly facing channel members, designated 82, having inwardly directed top and bottom walls 83 and 84, respectively, and .a generally vertical sidewall 85. Each of the channels 82 is attached to the receptacle 51 at spaced points around the periphery thereof by means of support members 86, which in addition to supporting the channel maintain it in spaced relationship with the sidewall 55 of receptacle 51 in order to provide an annular opening between the rear of channel sidewall 85 and receptacle sidewall 55 for a purpose which will. be hereinafter more fully described. Where a single channel is employed, it is preferably located substantially midway of the vertical dimension of the receptacle 51. However, I have found that it is advantageous to employ at least two of the channels and in this case they should be mounted at spaced vertical points along the sidewall 55, being somewhat nearer the upper end thereof than the lower end, as can be seen from Figure 1.

, Associated with each of the inwardly facing channels 82 are a series of vane members 87, located at intervals around the inner periphery of the channel which may be conveniently fixed to the vertical legs of L-shaped rods 73 with their short axes extending vertically. One end of each of the vanes 87 projects into the channel 82 but terminates before coming in contact with the sidewall 85 of the channel, while the other end extends angularly into the interior of the receptacle 51. The angle at which the vanes 87 are positioned with respect to the sidewall 85 of channel 82 may be varied considerably and I have found it advantageous to position successive or alternate vanes at different angles in order that the sprays produced thereby may cover a reasonably wide field. The particular shape or configuration of the vanes 87 is not of major importance provided that they are of such shape as to be capable of removing water from the channel 82 and directing it into the interior of the receptacle 51. While for reasons of simplicity of construction and minimization of cost I prefer to use a flat vane having a rectangular tip portion 89 which projects into the channel area and an inner portion 91 of the shape of an isoceles trapezoid integral with the tip 89, I do not choose to be limited to this particular configuration since other shapes, as for example, a dished or scoop-shaped vane, would be equally suitable for use. The number and spacing of vanes employed may also be varied within the scope of the invention.

In order to supply fluid to the interior of the channel 82, a circular header pipe 93 is secured to the housing 11 adjacent its upper edge, the header 93 being connected to a source of water or other washing fluid, not shown, through a conduit 95. At intervals around the header 93 pipe Ts 97 are interposed therein, to which are connected downwardly extending vertical pipes 99, carrying at their end nozzles 101. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the nozzles 101 are preferably inclined with respect to the sidewalls 85 of channels 82 or curved to smooth merge with the curve of the channel so that fluid isuing therefrom is deposited into the channels smoothly and with a minimum of agitation. If but a single channel is to be used, then, of course, all of the vertical pipes 99 may be of the same length. On the other hand, should two or more channels be employed, the pipes 99 will be of varying lengths, corresponding to the position of the channels on the sidewall 55. From two to four pipes may be associated with each channel, spaced at 180 or intervals, as the case may be, around the inner periphery thereof.

The operation of the dishwasher of the present invention is as follows: The dishes to be cleaned are placed in a conventional rack orcontainer which has been previously inserted into the washenresting uponrthe basket-like framework 67. Motor 43 is. actuated, settingreceptacle 51 in rotation. Thereafter, water is permitted to flow into circular header 93, from whence it flows out of nozzle 101 into channels 82. The speed of rotation of receptacle 51 is selected so that the centrifugal force created thereby is suflicient to maintain the fluid inside of the channels '71. are formed bands or rings of fluid extending around the internal periphery of the rotating receptacle 51 and confined within the channels 82. The tips of the vanes 87, of couse, dip into therapidly movingband of fluid, scooping fluid out of. :thechannelsand directing it against. the dishes in-the form of ashower or spray. of droplets oreven a solid sheet of fluid, depending. upon the particular adjustment. of the vanes. The. volume of fluid flowing through the nozzle 101 into the channel 82 is so adjusted that the ring of fluid inside channel 82 is continuously replenished.

The fluid which has been sprayed onto the dishes falls under the action of gravity to the bottom of the receptacle Si. in the space between the bottom wall 53 and basketlike framework 67. As this soiled water accumulates, it is acted upon by the centrifugal force of the rotating receptacle 51 and urged up the inclined sidewalls 55 of the receptacle, through the annular opening defined by the rear face of sidewall 85 of channel 82 and adjacent portion of the inner face of recpetacle wall 55, through annular aperture 81 between the rim of the receptacle 51 and flared face 79 of circular member 83, and finally into the overflow trough 64, from whence it flows to a drain through outlet pipe 65.

After the washing operation has progressed to the stage where the dishes are of a satisfactory degree of cleanliness, the dirty fluid having been continuously expelled from the machine in the manner just described, the supply of fluid to the header pipe 93 is shut off. Continued rotation of the receptacle 51, either at the same or an increased rate of speed, empties the receptacle 51 of fluid and at the same time assists in the drying of the washed dishes since the rotation of the receptacle 51 sets up air currents in and around the dishes which tends to dry the same.

It will thus be appreciated by one skilled in the art that I have described an extremely novel dishwasher which is simple in construction and foolproof in operation since only a single moving element, i. e., the receptacle, is necessary and that by virtue of the unique spray creating means and the particular configuration of my rotating receptacle I am able to spray the dishes with fluid, continuously remove the soiled or used fluid from the machine throughout the washing operation, empty the machine of soiled fluid at the end of the washing operation and finally dry the dishes all through the medium of this single rotating element. It will also be apparent that by originating the sprays at the periphery of the washer and by maintaining the dishes in the spaced relation with the bottom and sidewalls of the receptacle, I can achieve superior washing in a shorter length of time than has hithertofore been possible in the art.

In view of the fact that my invention is obviously susceptible to considerable variation both in the design and the details of construction, I do not choose to be limited to the specific embodiment which has been illustrated and described but only by the scope and spirit of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described my invention, that which is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for washing dishes and the like comprising an outer housing, a receptacle mounted in said housing for rotation about a vertical axis, means for rotating said receptacle, means for supporting dishes within said receptacle, means for forming at least one annular band of washing fluid extending around the inner peripheral wall of said receptacle when said receptacle is in rotation,

It: will thus. be observed that there i said receptacle including means positively defining at least the. lower limit ofsaid band} which limit. remains substantially unchanged irrespective ofthe speed of rotation of the receptacle, and fixed means projecting into the path of said band of fluid for directing fluid from said band into theinterior of said receptacle.

2'. Ina machine for washing dishes and the like including an outer casing and meansrfor supporting dishes, within saidcasingthe improvement which comprises a.rotatable bowl vertically disposed between said casing and said dish supporting means, said bowl having. upwardly and outwardly flared. sidewalls, annular trough means carried by saidcasing laterally adjacent'andbelow the top edge of said sidewalls, drain means communicating with said trough means, means for spraying: said" dishes of washing fluid and means for rotating said bowl whereby during the washing operation the dirty fluid which collects at the bottom of said bowl is urged by centrifugal force up the inclined sidewalls of said bowl, over the rim thereof and into said annular trough.

3. Apparatus for washing dishes and the like comprising an outer housing, a receptacle mounted in said housing for rotation about a vertical axis, said receptacle having a bottom and outwardly inclined sidewalls, at least one ring-shaped inwardly facing channel secured in spaced relation to said sidewalls below the rim thereof, a rigid framework depending from said housing and disposed within said receptacle, said framework being adapted to support at least one rack of dishes in spaced relationship with said bottom, sidewalls and channel, a plurality of fixed nozzles adapted to direct streams of a washing fluid into said channel in the direction of rotation of said receptacle, a plurality of vanes secured to said framework, each of said vanes having one end projecting into said channel and the other extending in angular fashion into the interior of said receptacle, an annular trough mouted on said housing adjacent the rim of said receptacle, said trough being adapted to receive fluid flowing over the rim of said receptacle and conduct the same from the housing, and means for rotating said receptacle.

4. Apparatus for washing dishes and the like comprising a support, a bowl mounted in said support for rotation about a vertical axis, outwardly inclined sidewalls on said bowl terminating in a rim, annular peripheral fluid-confining means secured to said sidewalls at spaced points therearound and in spaced relation therewith to provide a passageway between said fluid-confining means and said sidewalls, means for rotating said bowl and its associated confining means, means for introducing fluid into said fluid-confining means while said bowl is in rotation, means for withdrawing fluid from said confining means and directing the same into the interior of said bowl and fluid collecting means surrounding the rim of said bowl.

5. The apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said fluid confining means comprises at least one cylindrical wall having upper and lower inwardly directed flanges thereon.

6. The apparatus as in claim 5 wherein said fluid introducing means comprises a plurality of nozzles for directing fluid against said wall intermediate said flanges substantially in the direction of rotation thereof and header means for supplying fluid to said nozzles.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said fluid-withdrawing means comprises a plurality of fixed vane members located at spaced points around the inner periphery of said fluid-confining means, projecting at one end into the annular area included between said wall and said flanges and at the other into the interior of said bowl.

8. In a machine for washing dishes and the like including an outer casing and means for supporting dishes within said casing, the improvement which comprises a rotatable bowl vertically disposed between said casing and said dish supporting means, said bowl having upwardly and outwardly flared sidewalls, fluid collection means within said casing and surrounding said bowl, said collection means being adapted to receive fluid passing over the edge of said bowl sidewalls, drain means communicating with said collection means, means for spraying said dishes with washing fluid and means for rotating said bowl whereby during the washing operation the dirty fluid which collects at the bottom of said bowl is urged by centrifugal force up the inclined sidewalls of said bowl, over the edge thereof and into said collection means.

9. In a machine for washing dishes and the like, a bowl mounted, for rotation about a substantially vertically axis, said bowl having outwardly inclined side walls, means for supporting dishes within said bowl, means for introducing fluid into said bowl to wash said dishes, means for rotating said bowl whereby the soiled fluid which collects in the bottom of the bowl is urged by centrifugal force up said inclined side walls and out of the bowl, means for collecting the fluid urged out of the bowl, and drain means for conducting the fluid away from said collecting means.

10. The dishwashing machine as in claim 9 wherein said bowl is rotated independently of said dish supporting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 489,797 Faber Ian. 10, 1893 908,509 Silverglade Jan. 5, 1909 1,632,007 Kehoe June 14, 1927 2,294,668 Karas Sept. 1, 1942 2,303,940 Kuhn Dec. 1, 1942 Wagner Mar. 31, 1953 

